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Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Comparison of Multiscale Imaging Methods for Brain Research
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Tröger, Jessica; Hoischen, Christian; Perner, Birgit; Monajembashi, Shamci; Barbotin, Aurélien; Löschberger, Anna; Eggeling, Christian; Kessels, Michael M.; Qualmann, Britta; Hemmerich, Peter
    A major challenge in neuroscience is how to study structural alterations in the brain. Even small changes in synaptic composition could have severe outcomes for body functions. Many neuropathological diseases are attributable to disorganization of particular synaptic proteins. Yet, to detect and comprehensively describe and evaluate such often rather subtle deviations from the normal physiological status in a detailed and quantitative manner is very challenging. Here, we have compared side-by-side several commercially available light microscopes for their suitability in visualizing synaptic components in larger parts of the brain at low resolution, at extended resolution as well as at super-resolution. Microscopic technologies included stereo, widefield, deconvolution, confocal, and super-resolution set-ups. We also analyzed the impact of adaptive optics, a motorized objective correction collar and CUDA graphics card technology on imaging quality and acquisition speed. Our observations evaluate a basic set of techniques, which allow for multi-color brain imaging from centimeter to nanometer scales. The comparative multi-modal strategy we established can be used as a guide for researchers to select the most appropriate light microscopy method in addressing specific questions in brain research, and we also give insights into recent developments such as optical aberration corrections.
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    Functional Delineation of a Protein–Membrane Interaction Hotspot Site on the HIV-1 Neutralizing Antibody 10E8
    (Basel : Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI), 2022) Insausti, Sara; Garcia-Porras, Miguel; Torralba, Johana; Morillo, Izaskun; Ramos-Caballero, Ander; de la Arada, Igor; Apellaniz, Beatriz; Caaveiro, Jose M. M.; Carravilla, Pablo; Eggeling, Christian; Rujas, Edurne; Nieva, Jose L.
    Antibody engagement with the membrane-proximal external region (MPER) of the envelope glycoprotein (Env) of HIV-1 constitutes a distinctive molecular recognition phenomenon, the full appreciation of which is crucial for understanding the mechanisms that underlie the broad neutralization of the virus. Recognition of the HIV-1 Env antigen seems to depend on two specific features developed by antibodies with MPER specificity: (i) a large cavity at the antigen-binding site that holds the epitope amphipathic helix; and (ii) a membrane-accommodating Fab surface that engages with viral phospholipids. Thus, besides the main Fab–peptide interaction, molecular recognition of MPER depends on semi-specific (electrostatic and hydrophobic) interactions with membranes and, reportedly, on specific binding to the phospholipid head groups. Here, based on available cryo-EM structures of Fab–Env complexes of the anti-MPER antibody 10E8, we sought to delineate the functional antibody–membrane interface using as the defining criterion the neutralization potency and binding affinity improvements induced by Arg substitutions. This rational, Arg-based mutagenesis strategy revealed the position-dependent contribution of electrostatic interactions upon inclusion of Arg-s at the CDR1, CDR2 or FR3 of the Fab light chain. Moreover, the contribution of the most effective Arg-s increased the potency enhancement induced by inclusion of a hydrophobic-at-interface Phe at position 100c of the heavy chain CDR3. In combination, the potency and affinity improvements by Arg residues delineated a protein–membrane interaction site, whose surface and position support a possible mechanism of action for 10E8-induced neutralization. Functional delineation of membrane-interacting patches could open new lines of research to optimize antibodies of therapeutic interest that target integral membrane epitopes.
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    The cortical actin network regulates avidity-dependent binding of hyaluronan by the lymphatic vessel endothelial receptor LYVE-1
    (Bethesda, Md. : ASBMB Publications, 2020) Stanly, Tess A.; Fritzsche, Marco; Banerji, Suneale; Shrestha, Dilip; Schneider, Falk; Eggeling, Christian; Jackson, David G.
    Lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1 (LYVE-1) mediates the docking and entry of dendritic cells to lymphatic vessels through selective adhesion to its ligand hyaluronan in the leukocyte surface glycocalyx. To bind hyaluronan efficiently, LYVE-1 must undergo surface clustering, a process that is induced efficiently by the large cross-linked assemblages of glycosaminoglycan present within leukocyte pericellular matrices but is induced poorly by the shorter polymer alone. These properties suggested that LYVE-1 may have limited mobility in the endothelial plasma membrane, but no biophysical investigation of these parameters has been carried out to date. Here, using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy combined with biochemical analyses of the receptor in primary lymphatic endothelial cells, we provide the first evidence that LYVE-1 dynamics are indeed restricted by the submembranous actin network. We show that actin disruption not only increases LYVE-1 lateral diffusion but also enhances hyaluronan- binding activity. However, unlike the related leukocyte HA receptor CD44, which uses ERM and ankyrin motifs within its cytoplasmic tail to bind actin, LYVE-1 displays little if any direct interaction with actin, as determined by co-immunoprecipitation. Instead, as shown by super-resolution stimulated emission depletion microscopy in combination with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, LYVE-1 diffusion is restricted by transient entrapment within submembranous actin corrals. These results point to an actin-mediated constraint on LYVE-1 clustering in lymphatic endothelium that tunes the receptor for selective engagement with hyaluronan assemblages in the glycocalyx that are large enough to cross-bridge the corral-bound LYVE-1 molecules and thereby facilitate leukocyte adhesion and transmigration. © 2020 Stanly et al.
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    Creating supported plasma membrane bilayers using acoustic pressure
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Sezgin, Erdinc; Carugo, Dario; Levental, Ilya; Stride, Eleanor; Eggeling, Christian
    Model membrane systems are essential tools for the study of biological processes in a simplified setting to reveal the underlying physicochemical principles. As cell-derived membrane systems, giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs) constitute an intermediate model between live cells and fully artificial structures. Certain applications, however, require planar membrane surfaces. Here, we report a new approach for creating supported plasma membrane bilayers (SPMBs) by bursting cell-derived GPMVs using ultrasound within a microfluidic device. We show that the mobility of outer leaflet molecules is preserved in SPMBs, suggesting that they are accessible on the surface of the bilayers. Such model membrane systems are potentially useful in many applications requiring detailed characterization of plasma membrane dynamics. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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    Object detection networks and augmented reality for cellular detection in fluorescence microscopy
    (New York, NY : Rockefeller Univ. Press, 2020) Waithe, Dominic; Brown, Jill M.; Reglinski, Katharina; Diez-Sevilla, Isabel; Roberts, David; Eggeling, Christian
    Object detection networks are high-performance algorithms famously applied to the task of identifying and localizing objects in photography images. We demonstrate their application for the classification and localization of cells in fluorescence microscopy by benchmarking four leading object detection algorithms across multiple challenging 2D microscopy datasets. Furthermore we develop and demonstrate an algorithm that can localize and image cells in 3D, in close to real time, at the microscope using widely available and inexpensive hardware. Furthermore, we exploit the fast processing of these networks and develop a simple and effective augmented reality (AR) system for fluorescence microscopy systems using a display screen and back-projection onto the eyepiece. We show that it is possible to achieve very high classification accuracy using datasets with as few as 26 images present. Using our approach, it is possible for relatively nonskilled users to automate detection of cell classes with a variety of appearances and enable new avenues for automation of fluorescence microscopy acquisition pipelines. © 2020 Waithe et al.
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    Affinity for the Interface Underpins Potency of Antibodies Operating In Membrane Environments
    (Maryland Heights, MO : Cell Press, 2020) Rujas, Edurne; Insausti, Sara; Leaman, Daniel P.; Carravilla, Pablo; González-Resines, Saul; Monceaux, Valérie; Sánchez-Eugenia, Rubén; Garcıá-Porras, Miguel; Iloro, Ibon; Zhang, Lei; Elortza, Félix; Julien, Jean-Philippe; Saéz-Cirión, Asier; Zwick, Michael B.; Eggeling, Christian; Ojida, Akio; Domene, Carmen; Caaveiro, Jose M.M.; Nieva, José L.
    The contribution of membrane interfacial interactions to recognition of membrane-embedded antigens by antibodies is currently unclear. This report demonstrates the optimization of this type of antibodies via chemical modification of regions near the membrane but not directly involved in the recognition of the epitope. Using the HIV-1 antibody 10E8 as a model, linear and polycyclic synthetic aromatic compounds are introduced at selected sites. Molecular dynamics simulations predict the favorable interactions of these synthetic compounds with the viral lipid membrane, where the epitope of the HIV-1 glycoprotein Env is located. Chemical modification of 10E8 with aromatic acetamides facilitates the productive and specific recognition of the native antigen, partially buried in the crowded environment of the viral membrane, resulting in a dramatic increase of its capacity to block viral infection. These observations support the harnessing of interfacial affinity through site-selective chemical modification to optimize the function of antibodies that target membrane-proximal epitopes. © 2020 The Author(s)Rujas et al. describe the site-selective chemical modification of antibodies to improve the molecular recognition of epitopes at membrane surfaces. The modification using aromatic compounds dramatically enhanced the virus neutralization potency and native antigen binding efficiency of HIV-1 antibodies directed against the membrane-embedded MPER epitope. © 2020 The Author(s)
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    Aggregation and mobility of membrane proteins interplay with local lipid order in the plasma membrane of T cells
    (Chichester : Wiley, 2021) Urbančič, Iztok; Schiffelers, Lisa; Jenkins, Edward; Gong, Weijian; Santos, Ana Mafalda; Schneider, Falk; O'Brien-Ball, Caitlin; Vuong, Mai Tuyet; Ashman, Nicole; Sezgin, Erdinc; Eggeling, Christian
    To disentangle the elusive lipid-protein interactions in T-cell activation, we investigate how externally imposed variations in mobility of key membrane proteins (T-cell receptor [TCR], kinase Lck, and phosphatase CD45) affect the local lipid order and protein colocalisation. Using spectral imaging with polarity-sensitive membrane probes in model membranes and live Jurkat T cells, we find that partial immobilisation of proteins (including TCR) by aggregation or ligand binding changes their preference towards a more ordered lipid environment, which can recruit Lck. Our data suggest that the cellular membrane is poised to modulate the frequency of protein encounters upon alterations of their mobility, for example in ligand binding, which offers new mechanistic insight into the involvement of lipid-mediated interactions in membrane-hosted signalling events.
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    Flotillin-Dependent Membrane Microdomains Are Required for Functional Phagolysosomes against Fungal Infections
    (Maryland Heights, MO : Cell Press, 2020) Schmidt, Franziska; Thywißen, Andreas; Goldmann, Marie; Cunha, Cristina; Cseresnyés, Zoltán; Schmidt, Hella; Rafiq, Muhammad; Galiani, Silvia; Gräler, Markus H.; Chamilos, Georgios; Lacerda, João; Campos, António, Jr.; Eggeling, Christian; Figge, Marc Thilo; Heinekamp, Thorsten; Filler, Scott G.; Carvalho, Agostinho; Brakhage, Axel A.
    Schmidt el al. show that lipid rafts in phagolysosomal membranes of macrophages depend on flotillins. Lipid rafts are required for assembly of vATPase and NADPH oxidase. Conidia of the human-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus dysregulate assembly of flotillin-dependent lipid rafts in the phagolysosomal membrane and can thereby escape phagolysosomal digestion. © 2020 The Author(s)Lipid rafts form signaling platforms on biological membranes with incompletely characterized role in immune response to infection. Here we report that lipid-raft microdomains are essential components of phagolysosomal membranes of macrophages and depend on flotillins. Genetic deletion of flotillins demonstrates that the assembly of both major defense complexes vATPase and NADPH oxidase requires membrane microdomains. Furthermore, we describe a virulence mechanism leading to dysregulation of membrane microdomains by melanized wild-type conidia of the important human-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus resulting in reduced phagolysosomal acidification. We show that phagolysosomes with ingested melanized conidia contain a reduced amount of free Ca2+ ions and that inhibition of Ca2+-dependent calmodulin activity led to reduced lipid-raft formation. We identify a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the human FLOT1 gene resulting in heightened susceptibility for invasive aspergillosis in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Collectively, flotillin-dependent microdomains on the phagolysosomal membrane play an essential role in protective antifungal immunity. © 2020 The Author(s)
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    z-STED Imaging and Spectroscopy to Investigate Nanoscale Membrane Structure and Dynamics
    (Bethesda, Md. : Biophysical Soc., 2020) Barbotin, Aurélien; Urbančič, Iztok; Galiani, Silvia; Eggeling, Christian; Booth, Martin; Sezgin, Erdinc
    Super-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) microcopy provides optical resolution beyond the diffraction limit. The resolution can be increased laterally (xy) or axially (z). Two-dimensional STED has been extensively used to elucidate the nanoscale membrane structure and dynamics via imaging or combined with spectroscopy techniques such as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and spectral imaging. On the contrary, z-STED has not been used in this context. Here, we show that a combination of z-STED with FCS or spectral imaging enables us to see previously unobservable aspects of cellular membranes. We show that thanks to an axial resolution of ∼100 nm, z-STED can be used to distinguish axially close-by membranes, early endocytic vesicles, or tubular membrane structures. Combination of z-STED with FCS and spectral imaging showed diffusion dynamics and lipid organization in these structures, respectively. © 2020 Biophysical Society